Answer: There are only a couple of breeds that have naturally occurring bob tails. The rest of the breeds we see with short tails such as Boxers, Doberman Pinschers and Rottweilers, have all had their tails Docked. Docking is the surgical removal of the tail to conform to breed standard in a pure bred dog. While this practice is common in the United States for cosmetic reasons, it has been banned in many other countries (including the United Kingdom, France, Hungary,Belgium and many many more) as the practice is done purely for cosmetic reasons in most cases and has been ruled to be cruel and painful. In some of these countries, working dogs are an exception to these bans. They could sustain damage to themselves in the field, thus they are allowed to undergo the surgery for their own wellbeing.

Two breeds who are born with naturally “nubby” tails are the French Bulldog and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. These guys don’t have to undergo any surgical procedures to have their little stumps!

Hi Gary,
Thanks for your comment. While the natural bob gene does occur in Rottweilers, there are few breeders working with dogs that carry the gene (especially in the US!). Most of the dogs we see here in the US are docked, as it is still common practice.

I have a rescue with a short tail that looks like a paintbrush. I have never seen anything like it. I was told she is a Kentucky Cur, but I have yet to see any other dogs with this tail. It is very unique in that it is jointed on the very end. Where would this have come from?

my female Rottweiler 9 weeks ago had a litter of 10 puppies one of which is a male and he was born with no tail just a little button that covers his butthole no I’ve read that there’s only two breeds that do this I have proof pictures and witnesses would you please let me know how rare this is thank you for your time